1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable communication apparatuses including cellular phones, PDAs (personal digital assistants), HHPs (hand held phones), camera phones, game phones, Internet phones, and digital communication apparatuses, and more particularly to a folder-type portable apparatus having a folder connected thereto in such a manner that it can rotate about three axes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a “portable communication apparatus” refers to an electronic apparatus that a user can carry with him to perform wireless communication with a desired partner. In consideration of portability, designs of such apparatuses are not only compact, slim, and light, but also provide multimedia functionality for a wider variety of provided services. Future portable communication apparatuses are expected to be smaller, incorporate greater multi-functionality and multi-purpose utilization, and be suitable for various multimedia environments and Internet environments. At present, portable communication apparatuses are commonly used by people of all ages and walks of life, throughout the world, and are considered a nearly indispensable commodity that must be carried all the time.
Conventional portable communication apparatuses may be classified into various categories by appearance, such as bar-type, flip-type, and folder-type. The bar-type communication apparatuses have a single housing shaped like a bar. The flip-type communication apparatuses have a flip that is rotatably coupled to a bar-shaped housing by a hinge device. The folder-type communication apparatuses have a folder that is connected to a single bar-shaped housing by a hinge device so that the folder can rotate to fold onto or unfold from the housing.
Portable communication apparatuses may also be classified into neck-wearable communication apparatuses and wrist-wearable communication apparatuses according to the position at, or the way in which, a user puts on the communication apparatus. The neck-wearable communication apparatus is worn around the neck using a string, while the wrist-wearable communication apparatus is worn around the wrist.
In addition, portable communication apparatuses may be classified into rotation-type communication apparatuses and sliding-type communication apparatuses according to opening and closing of the communication apparatuses. In the rotation-type portable communication apparatuses, two housings are coupled to each other in such a manner that one housing rotates to be opened or closed relative to the other while they face each other. In the sliding-type portable communication apparatuses, two housings are coupled to each other in such a manner that one housing slides along a longitudinal direction to be opened or closed relative to the other. These variously classified portable communication apparatuses can be easily understood by those skilled in the art.
Conventional portable communication apparatuses are currently capable of transmitting data at a high speed in addition to voice communication because of an increase of demand by consumers.
Many recent portable communication apparatuses are also equipped with a camera lens for transmission of video signals; an external or imbedded camera lens module that enables a user to perform video communication with a desired partner or to take photographs of a desired subject.
However, folder-type portable apparatuses among conventional portable communication apparatuses are equipped with a folder adapted to fold on, and unfold from the main body about a single hinge axis. This creates a structural limitation and to use, as portable apparatuses having more functions appear in line with the trend of multimedia availability. For example, although conventional folder-type portable apparatuses are convenient for pressing keys in a phone mode, it is inconvenient in other modes such as the PDA mode or game mode since the display is blocked.